1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an integrable analog-to-digital converter, in which the analog signal to be processed is simultaneously connected to one input of each of n identical comparators, while the other input of each of the comparators is connected to a respective divider point of a voltage divider formed of n series-connected resistors, the ends of the voltage divider are acted upon by a reference d-c voltage, and the outputs of the comparators control a common logic circuit which furnishes a digital signal corresponding to the analog signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such circuits, the value of the reference voltage varies at the inputs of the comparators, causing nonlinearities. The use of emitter followers has been proposed for overcoming these non-linearities. However, these measures are not always sufficient and more elaborate circuitry is then required. The prior art devices are more fully discussed below.
Such analog-to-digital converters operating according to the parallel method are described, for instance, in the book by Tietze and Schenk entitled: "Halbleiterschaltungstechnik" (Semiconductor Switching Technique) (1980), pages 653 to 657, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,173 and in the publication "IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits", vol. SC 17, No. 6 (December 1982), pages 1133 to 1138.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an integrable analog-to-digital converter which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type.